Jacqui Gal

Tribeca Film Festival dining guide

Now showing: haute sushi, savory arepas, rustic pastas and lotsa cannoli

Photo: courtesy of Metromix.com

Read this article on Metromix.com

You’ve got the tickets, you’ve got the festival guide, and now you’ve got…hunger pangs. Why fill up on overpriced candy and popcorn when there’s a glut of great dining options in downtown Manhattan? Herewith, our picks for local restaurants within blocks of theaters showing this year’s crop of Tribeca Film Festival entries.

Locale: Tribeca
Theaters: BMCC Tribeca PAC and Tribeca Cinemas

The open kitchen at Upstairs at Bouley Bakery & Market (130 West Broadway) could provide a great second act to your artsy film. You can opt for fresh sashimi, or select from a wider, seasonal (and not- necessarily-Japanese-inspired) menu, which is updated with fresh ideas from the nearby Bouley test kitchen.

Whether it’s for some serious comfort food, or just a slice of homemade apple, cherry or banana cream pie, check out Bubby’s (120 Hudson St.)—even the ice cream here is made from scratch.

Don’t kick yourself for failing to book at Nobu (and thereby rounding out your De Niro–Tribeca experience): Head to the no-reservations-required offshoot Next Door Nobu (105 Hudson St.) and try the sashimi tacos, toro tartar or simply trust the chef with an omakase—chef’s choice—starting at $100 per person.

Alternately, you’ll find a lively bar, outdoor seating and a classic French brasserie menu at Cercle Rouge (241 West Broadway). Plus, nouveau-Italian ROC Restaurant (190-A Duane St.) will be whipping up film-themed cocktails and offering a free dessert to festival ticket-holders from each night’s screening.

And if you’re feeling really optimistic, you can try your luck at recently opened hot spot du jour Ago, De Niro and chef-partner Agostino Sciandri’s Gotham spin-off of their L.A. trattoria, which checks in at De Niro’s Greenwich Hotel.

Locale: East Village
Theaters: AMC Village VII and Village East Cinemas

In the East Village you’ll have no trouble finding international flavors to match the foreign art-house masterpiece you’ve just soaked up. Wanna scratch that Neapolitan itch? Head to Lil’ Frankie’s (19 First Ave.) for rustic Italian fare and a wood-burning oven that churns out tasty pizzas, and also gives whole roasted chicken and eggplant the perfect once-over.

For a cornucopia of cookies and cakes, stroll to Veniero’s (342 E 11th St.) They’ve been serving up some of the best cannoli, mini-cheesecakes and fruit tarts in the village for more than a century. Don’t be afraid of the line, since takeout runs fairly quickly. Or check out the table service—you can always order an espresso to go with your sweets.

If you’ve never had the delightful Venezuelan stuffed flat corn bread known as an arepa, go straight to Caracas Arepa Bar (93 1/2 E. Seventh St.) Or, if you’re game for something special, walk east a couple of avenues to Back Forty (190 Avenue B), a fairly recent addition, bringing haute market-fresh cuisine to the neighborhood.

Locale: City Hall
Theater: Pace University

When you leave the theater, head eastward toward South Street Seaport, where you can actually enjoy a smattering of bars and eateries while avoiding the tourist traps.

Grab a beer at the lively bar or a table for some hearty grub at Nelson Blue (233-235 Front St.) The green-lipped mussels and lamb chops are flown in from New Zealand, and there’s a selection of DUB pies, grilled skewered treats, entrees and bar food like chili salt squid and popcorn shrimp.

Across the street is café/restaurant Stella Maris (213 Front St.), where the menu abounds with fresh seafood (grilled fish, cold seafood platters and poached lobster), anchored by earthy short ribs, roasts and a black Angus beef burger.

Or, fight off Wall Streeters at MarkJoseph Steakhouse (261 Walter St.). It’s co-owned by a former Peter Luger staffer, who brings all that know-how and dry-aged goodness to sirloins, filets and sliced porterhouse platters, dripping in juices and designed to share.

Locale: Greenwich Village
Theater: Tishman Auditorium at The New School

On your way to the flicks, grab a cup of expertly brewed coffee at Joe (9 E. 13th St.). Afterward, you can crack walnuts while discussing the plot points over wine and nosh at the newly opened Gottino (52 Greenwich Ave.).

Closer at hand is Otto (1 Fifth Ave.), a raucous upscale pizzeria that’s part of the Mario Batali–Joseph Bastianich empire (and much easier to get into than Babbo), which also serves rustic pastas, cheeses and terrific gelato.

Photo: courtesy of Metromix.com

Locale: Gramercy
Theater: AMC 19th Street East

Deciding to splash out on an $82 three-course prix fixe at Gramercy Tavern (42 E 20th St.) is the easy part; choosing between the striped bass with mussels, crab, sunchokes and lobster vinaigrette, and the sirloin and braised short rib with Tuscan bean purée, Brussels sprouts and black olives—now that’s the real challenge.

If you’re more in the mood for the wine-bar-and-lovely-nibbles experience, try Bar Stuzzichini (928 Broadway). Pick your way through arancini (rice balls), polpo (grilled octopus), and some mixed crostini, and you can bet most of your pasta and secondi will be coming home in a doggy bag.

For affable Greek fare, Barbounia (250 Park Ave.) offers Mediterranean faves like saganaki (salty, oven-baked cheese) and moussaka, which share menu space with new inspirations like thyme-crusted sea scallops and a lamb burger.

Or, sample the range of fresh pasta and signature meatballs at Lunetta (920 Broadway), the Manhattan offshoot of a Brooklyn staple that’s mere spitting distance from the Union Square Greenmarket (and it shows).